Hard to Say
by J.A Dolohov
Summary: Although in the midst of war, our favorite magic folk aren't too busy for a few life lessons. It's time to come to terms with unspoken issues, and to make sure that happens, in comes two little memories from the past. Warning: may or may not be slash.


Disclaimer: Either I have amnesia and don't remember writing seven best-selling books, or I don't own anything associated with Harry Potter. You decide.

A/N: Sorry if this sucks.

Chapter 1

"Settle down now, class. We have a lot to get through today," said Professor Flitwick as he maneuvered himself onto his stool. Harry lazily settled himself in his chair, not particularly interested in the lesson.

"Oi" Ron whispered to Harry from his chair two seats down. "Harry! Lend me a quill."

"You haven't returned the last three I loaned you!" Harry whispered back. Ron frowned.

"I told you, someone stole them! Besides, we're best mates, it shouldn't matter."

Harry rolled his eyes, but nevertheless, dug a spare quill out of his satchel. "Don't you mean you lost them? This is my last spare, Ron. Lose it, and you'll have to use blood."

"Thanks. I owe you."

"Shush, you two!" Hermione said sharply, her eyes fixed on the blackboard where notes were appearing rapidly.

"Today we will be studying the _Nuncolim_ Charm. Now, the purpose of this charm is to make the most out of something; for example, a hat. Following a year of use, a hat can get terribly worn. If it's your favorite hat, then you're bound to be distressed to have to throw it away. This is when the _Nuncolim Charm _comes to use. With a simple lift and flick, you can make yourself a carbon copy of the hat looking the same as it did on the day you bought it," said Flitwick proudly.

"With this charm…how do the shops ever stay in business?" Lavender asked in awe.

"Ah! You are quite right, Miss. Brown. It would be very difficult for shopkeepers if the everyday witch or wizard could use this spell on all their belongings. Fortunately for them, the _Nuncolim _charm has a downside. This charm can be used on an object only once. Afterwards, I'm afraid, you'll have to buy yourself a new one. Not to mention, it takes an above average amount of power to cast this charm," said Flitwick, not noticing the disappointed looks on many students' faces.

"So, not all of us will be able to cast it?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Indeed. I don't expect many of you to succeed in casting this charm, but it is still important to know the theory. So, hurry and copy these notes down. I'll teach you the practical when the last student has finished."

Harry quickly scribbled down the rest of the notes, eager to get to the spell casting. Hermione, of course, had already finished, and was patiently waiting for everyone else. Ron was chatting with Seamus about something or another. That is, he was until Hermione elbowed him in the thigh. Ron glared, but did start to copy down the notes too.

"We should have learned this spell ages ago! It's bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed as he finished his last sentence.

"Chances are we won't even be able to cast it, Ronald," said Hermione with a sigh. "I've read all about it in _Advanced Spell-work for the Over-achiever_. 'Above average' is a bit of an understatement in regards to power."

"It would be wicked if we could though," said Ron with a grin. Harry smiled back. It would be nice not to have to replace his trainers every month. They are always full of holes within weeks of buying them.

"I already know that I cannot do it," said Hermione. "I practiced some a few weeks ago."

"I guess that doesn't say much for my chances. If you can't cast it, we all know I can't." Ron said with a grumble.

"I wouldn't say that. I may be book-smart, but that doesn't mean I am powerful magic-wise. In fact, I am fairly average," said Hermione soothingly.

"Right"

Hermione ignored the redhead's sarcastic tone. "I don't believe you'll have a problem though, Harry."

"Oh, yeah?"

"You are a very strong wizard. If anyone can cast this charm, you can." Hermione said excitedly. "Just imagine how useful it'll be. I could make brand new copies of all my books. A lot of them are getting quite ragged."

"Don't get ahead of yourself now, 'mione. We don't even know if I'll be able to cast it," said Harry with a smile.

"Of course, you will!" Ron stated loudly. "You're the most powerful wizard in the entire school."

"I don't know about—,"

"Quiet down, children! Has everyone finished?" Flitwick said, looking around the room to see if anyone was still writing. "Good. Let's get started then. Take out your wands."

Flitwick proceeded to teach them the lift and flick motion that was required for the charm.

"Now, repeat after me: _Nun-CO-lim! _Don't forget to emphasize the 'co'." Flitwick said without his wand.

"_Nuncolim!" _

Flitwick smiled. "Very good! Let's recite it one more time to fix it to memory."

"_Nuncolim!"_

_"_Wonderful! Wonderful! Now, you all have a cap on your desk to practice on. While this charm isn't known to be very dangerous—if done wrong, it normally just doesn't work—do try to be careful anyway. You may begin," said Flitwick with a clap.

The class erupted with chatter as the students attempted to cast the charm. "Attempted" being the operative word.

"_Nuncolim_! _Nuncolim! Nuncolim…_ugh, it's not working!" Ron said in exasperation.

Hermione cleared her throat before gracefully lifting and flicking her wand. "_Nuncolim!" _She wasn't too surprised when it failed.

_"Nuncolim!" _Harry said simply. He jumped a little as a loud pop rang through the room along with a flash of light.

"Oh, Harry! You did it! What did I tell you?" Hermione squealed as Harry slowly picked up the new copy of his red cap.

"Well done, Mr. Potter! Look! Look! Young Mr. Potter has done it!" Flitwick said cheerfully.

"On your first try? I hate you, Harry," mumbled Ron. Harry grinned at him.

"Mr. Goyle! Stop that right now!" Flitwick said sharply. The Gryffindors turned to see Goyle shoving a Slytherin boy—Theodore Nott?—into the desk in front of him. That desk contained one Draco Malfoy, who having not noticed the commotion was still attempting the charm. The desk shook as the boy was knocked into it, throwing Malfoy off balance. The spell shot across the room in a flash, hitting Harry straight in the chest.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted as she rushed over to him, pushing Neville in the process. Neville, who was nervously attempting the spell for the first time, fell forward. His spell rushed across the room and hit a confused Malfoy.

All this happened in the span of a few seconds. Both injured boys were on the floor, recovering from being temporarily blinded by a flash of light. Flitwick scurried over to Malfoy as Hermione checked over Harry.

"They seem to be—," said Hermione before being interrupted by a series of earthshakingly loud pops.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron said in irritation, holding his ears. Hermione's eyes were instantly drawn to the new additions in the room.

"Professor! Look!"

On the floor next to the two dazed teenagers, lay two unconscious little boys, one blond and the other a brunette.

"Oh dear…congratulations boys; you performed the charm correctly on your first try; however, we'll have to work on your aim," said Flitwick nervously.

"Sir, are they…," started Lavender.

"Indeed they are. Would you fetch the headmaster for me, Miss. Brown?" Flitwick said, still transfixed.

"Um…yes, sir."

"Bloody hell! Harry, is he you?" Ron asked, turning to the stunned boy on the floor.

"I-I think so. This can be fixed right, Professor Flitwick?" Harry said panicky. "I mean, we just have to do the counter-charm."

"Well, it's not that simple Mr. Potter, which is why we're fetching the headmaster. It is highly dangerous to use such advanced magic on such young children. More to the point, this charm was never meant to be used on humans. There could be severe consequences," said Flitwick. "All the same, I'm sure Headmaster Dumbledore can patch this up in a jip."

"Shouldn't we move them?" Hermione said uncertainly. "We can't leave them on the floor."

"Right. Mr. Malfoy why don't you grab…um, yourself, and Mr. Potter, you grab yourself," said Flitwick as he cast a softening charm on a spare desk. "Set them on here."

Harry quickly hauled himself off the floor, and leaned over his younger self. He was completely naked, so Harry wrapped his robe around him. Malfoy did the same. Gently lifting the boy in his arms, Harry turned to look at Malfoy. The blonde looked just as freaked out as him. So much so that he hadn't said a word yet.

"Gently…gently," said Flitwick as Malfoy and Harry lowered the boys onto the desk. "Don't jostle them too much."

"This is too weird…look at them! Is that really Malfoy? He looks like a girl!" Seamus said in awe, but quickly shut up after seeing Malfoy's death glare.

"Look at Harry! He's so small." Parvati said with a giggle. Harry blushed. He had forgotten just how scrawny he was as a child.

"Filius, you rang?"

Harry turned to the door where the headmaster was striding through. Lavender was scurrying behind him.

"Yes, sir. Sorry to bother you, Headmaster, but we seem to have had a bit of an accident." Flitwick said, gesturing toward the unconscious boys.

"How did this happen?"

"Well, we were practicing the _Nuncolim_ charm, and some of the students got a bit rowdy. Misters Malfoy and Potter were both hit with the charm, and they," Flitwick motioned to little Harry and Draco. "Are the results."

"Oh, dear," said Dumbledore.

"Indeed, sir."

"Well, we must have Madam Pomphrey look them over first thing to check for any adverse side effects," said Dumbledore cheerfully.

"You're quite right. Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, how about we carry these two to the hospital wing. As for the rest of you, class is dismissed." Flitwick said. The students were hesitant to obey.

"Can't we come too, sirs," said Hermione, motioning to Ron and herself. "We are Harry's best friends."

"Well…we're Draco's! Can't we come?" Pansy asked hastily. Blaise nodded in agreement.

"Madam Pomphrey needs to concentrate, children. It's best not to get in her way. I assure you that you'll be updated soon." Dumbledore said sympathetically. "Now, we must make haste."

"Let's go, boys." Flitwick said to Harry and Malfoy.

"Healthy as a whistle that one is," Poppy said, smiling at the slumbering blonde boy.

"Good…Good. How's Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked. Madam Pomphrey's smile faded away as she turned to stare worriedly at the smaller boy.

"He's not in good shape, but I doubt the charm is the cause. He's malnourished. So much so that he may have a stunt growth. He's also quite beat up: bruises, scratches, and a forming black eye. His injuries are too old to be a result of the charm." Poppy said stoically. She knew for certain who caused Harry's injuries, and she knew that the headmaster also knew.

"No different than his older self, unfortunately," said Dumbledore sorrowfully.

"Yes…his _older _self! The Harry we know is almost sixteen-years-old! This is a young _child, _Albus! He can't be any older than four-years-old! Those people did this to a _child._" Poppy spat out.

"I know," said Dumbledore quietly. "I had no choice, Poppy."

"There is always a choice. You may not always want to acknowledge it, but it's always there."

Dumbledore sighed. "They are his only living blood relatives. He needs them to harness the protection he gained from his mother. There were no other _reasonable_ choices."

"Reasonable? So, it's _reasonable_ to know a child is being abused but not do anything about it? That's reasonable to you?"

"Poppy…," Dumbledore said sternly.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster," said Poppy ruefully. "I know you do your best, but this is one decision that I never agreed with. I don't mean to be harsh, but this involves the wellbeing of a child."

"Do you think I like seeing him this way?" Dumbledore asked with pained eyes. "It kills me knowing that one of my students is being hurt, and it's because of something I did."

"I know you're remorseful. We all do. It's just…there are other ways of protecting Harry from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. There is no need to sacrifice his happiness for protection we can achieve elsewhere!"

"There are other ways, but blood protection is the strongest," said Dumbledore.

Poppy sighed. She took a minute to collect herself before saying. "That may be so in regards to people from the outside, but how defensive is it against inside-predators. Harry was sheltered against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but not against his own relatives."

"I don't know what to tell you, Poppy. I did what I had to do for the sake of the world. I have more than just one boy's happiness on my shoulders. I have an entire world's. That's all I have to say on the matter. When are the boys scheduled to awaken?"

Poppy had more to say on the matter, but let it go for now. They would finish this conversation on another day. "Soon."

A/N: Sorry if this seems a bit rushed. I hate doing introductions! Please review. Constructive criticism is welcome. Sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes. I don't have a beta.


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